Goldsmiths and Silversmiths of Hull
#SUBHEADING#'The Kings Town'#SUBHEADINGEND# Hull was granted its Royal Charter in 1299 from King Edward I and it became the 'Kings Town'. For a short while it had a mint which produced silver penny coins of the realm. Indeed it is probable that there were gold and silversmiths working in Hull around this time, however the earliest recorded goldsmiths working in Hull, who also produced silverware, were working in the fifteenth century. During the sixteenth century the Hull gold and silversmiths formed 'The Guild of Goldsmiths of Hull'. However, it seems that by the end of the century there was a reduced demand for their trade and that their status had possibly declined as they decided to combine with smiths, pewterers, painters, cutlers, bookbinders and basket makers to form 'The Company of Goldsmiths and Smiths and others of their brethren'. It is also probable that there never was an assay office in the town. #IMAGE# Gold and silver pieces were normally sent to an assay office to be tested to ensure that their gold and silver content was correct. By a royal decree of 1328, the standard for gold and silver items had to match that for coinage, which was known as the sterling standard. If the quality of the silver was right then the piece would be stamped with the assay town's mark. #SUBHEADING#Hull's Mark#SUBHEADINGEND# In 1363 it was ordered that every smith should have a maker's mark with which their work should be stamped after being stamped with the assayer's mark. However, because the only assay centre was in London, this instruction was impossible unless the maker took their work to London. In order to correct this, in 1423, provincial goldsmiths were directed to use their own maker's mark on their pieces and principal town marks and it seems that the marks that were used to denote Hull never had any official backing. From the late sixteenth century, the engraved and layer stamped capital letter 'H' for 'Hull', was used to mark some silver pieces. From known works that still exist today the maker Peter Carlill was the first to do this in around 1580. A communion cup produced by him for Beverley Minster has this mark. Later, around the first part of the seventeenth century, Hull's town mark of the three ducal coronets in pale was adopted for the stamp mark on silverware and is found within a plain shield. Hull also had its merchant princes who were able to afford luxury gold and silver items for both the adornment of their homes and themselves. The river Humber, rather than being a barrier for trade, provided access to Lincolnshire as a market for Hull's silver as far south as Lincoln itself. #IMAGE# The Hull gold and silversmiths had plenty of competition from beyond the city for the local market. It was often the case that important and valuable orders were sent to companies in London and those of a lesser value were often taken by goldsmiths nearby in York. However, there was local support for the Hull goldsmiths and for their standard of craftsmanship. Many local clergymen placed orders for church plate, as did local Corporations and some individuals.
